When She Returns
by AquaStarlight
Summary: It's been years since Leaf disappeared, but a certain brunet has never forgotten about her - in fact, he misses her. After Leaf and Blue are reunited with the help of Lyra, will Blue finally admit his feelings for Leaf to her - or will something else get in his way first? Conflictingshipping.


**Summary:**** It's been years since Leaf disappeared, but a certain brunet has never forgotten about her - in fact, he misses her. After Leaf and Blue are reunited with the help of Lyra, will Blue finally admit his feelings for Leaf to her - or will something else get in his way first? Conflictingshipping/Oldrivalshipping.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Pokemon or anything associated with it, although I do own the names of Lyra's Pokemon. (Since Lyra has no definitive team in the game - being a player character - I based her team off of my Soulsilver team)**

**Ages:**

**Lyra: 13**

**Blue: 17**

**Leaf: 17**

**NOTE:**** The story starts out mainly focused on Lyra but shifts to Blue and Leaf around the middle, so don't think this ****isn't**** a Conflictingshipping story after reading the first few sentences! It'll get there, I promise!**

* * *

When She Returns: Chapter 1

A young girl, around the age of 13, approached the large building in front of her, her twin pigtails bouncing up and down as she walked.

On her head was a large, puffy, white hat that resembled a marshmallow and had a strip of red on it with a complementary bow of the same color. She wore blue overalls with a red shirt underneath it, and white knee-socks and red shoes. Her hair poked out from under her hat as two curled pigtails, looking as if they defied gravity.

She merrily skipped up to the tan and brown building, humming under her breath, but stopped when she reached the sign by the door.

'Viridian City Gym,' it said in bold letters, and below that, 'Gym leader: Blue. Type: Various.'

The girl leaned forward, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet as she read the words on the sign. When she finished, she giggled, and withdrew a pokeball from her belt, casting it into the air.

A Meganium appeared in a flash of light, throwing back its head and letting out a cry. The girl patted its head and smiled, and the flowery dinosaur looked down at its trainer with a relaxed expression.

"Mega, we're going to take on the Viridian gym now!" the girl excitedly began. "If we win the badge here, then we'll have all of the badges from Kanto!"

"Mega!" her pokemon chirped in response, its eyes shining.

"Come on, let's go!" and with that she returned her Meganium and rushed inside the building, the automatic doors sliding open for her as she neared. The gym was dark inside, but the girl could easily spot the glowing neon arrows lining the ground, all pointing in various directions.

She smiled; she had always liked to solve the challenges most gyms had in them in order for the challenger to reach the gym leader. She glided through the gym, taking out all of the Ace Trainers in her way.

Finally, she made it to the back of the large room, where a battlefield was drawn out on the ground; and, squinting, she could see the outline of another person on the far side of the field. As one, all of the lights turned on, illuminating the battlefield, and the girl could now clearly see the features of her opponent.

He was a few years older than her, and had wild, spiky, light brown hair and sharp bright blue eyes that watched her curiously as she approached the challenger's box. He had a gray jacket on and tan cargo pants, and the girl spotted six pokeballs attached to his belt, which contained the pokemon that she was about to fight.

"Welcome, challenger, to the Viridian Gym. I'm the gym leader, Blue Oak," he called out, some hidden speaker amplifying his voice. "Are you here to request a gym battle for the Earth Badge?"

"Yes," the girl replied, slightly startled to hear her voice amplified as well, "I am Lyra Kotone."

"I met you at Cinnabar Island, correct?" Blue asked, an amused expression on his face.

"Yes," Lyra answered, nodding.

***A few weeks ago***

_"Finally, we reached land!" Lyra cried out, hopping off of her Quagsire and collapsing onto the ground, looking like she was trying to hug it. "Oh, sweet, sweet, sweet land, how I missed you!" She acted like she was kissing it while her Quagsire clambered out of the sea behind her, water sliding off its skin in rivulets._

_ She continued to worship the ground until a shadow appeared over her, and she looked up to see a boy a few years older than her staring down at her quizzically._

_ "What are you doing?" he asked incredulously._

_ "Oh, I'm sorry! I probably looked like an idiot – ha ha! It's just that the ride here from Pallet Town was soooo long, and I was really starting to miss the land!" she babbled, hopping onto her feet and dusting off her knees._

_ "You came here from Pallet Town?" the boy perked up._

_ "Yes, I did," Lyra smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Lyra! Lyra Kotone! Who are you?" she asked, sticking out her hand from him to shake._

_He grasped it and shook it. "Lyra Kotone? You're the Johto Champion, right?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. She nodded in confirmation. "I'm Blue Oak. I was once the Kanto Champion, although it was short-lived thanks to L… uh, never mind."_

_Blue quickly withdrew his hand and looked away, and Lyra sensed a deep feeling of regret and worry radiating from him._

_"Anyways," he turned to look out across the charred landscape of Cinnabar Island, ravaged by the volcano eruption that had occurred there a year ago, "take a good look around you… A volcano erupts, and just like that, a whole town disappears. We can go on winning and losing in Pokémon, but if nature so much as twitches, we can be overwhelmed in a second… That's the way it is…"_

_He paused, and Lyra thoughtfully eyed him: the heavy way he stood, almost as if worn down by grief._

_"But, anyway, I'm still a Trainer. If I see a strong opponent, it makes me want to battle. If you want to battle me… for real, show me how many Kanto Badges you've got. Six? You're not ready to battle me yet, then…"_

_For a moment, Lyra didn't know what he was talking about, until she remembered who this boy was. Blue Oak, the Viridian City gym leader, duh!_

_"If you want to battle me… for real, come to the Viridian Gym. I'll be waiting for you!" he said, turning to look Lyra straight in the eyes. They sparkled with determination, but also an underlying dullness, and Lyra couldn't but help wonder why as Blue turned and walked away._

***Present time***

"Are you ready to battle, then?" Blue asked, a cocky smirk creeping onto his face.

"You bet!" Lyra replied, grinning as she brandished a pokeball from her belt. Blue did the same, nonchalantly tossing a pokeball of his own up and down in his hand as the referee called out:

"This will be a six-on-six official league battle between gym leader Blue and the challenger for the Earth Badge! The challenger is allowed to switch out pokemon at any time, but the gym leader is not, understand?" The two nodded in response. "Alright then, let the battle commence… now!"

And with that, the two released their pokemon and the battle began.

* * *

"Tch, you won," Blue huffed as he handed Lyra the Earth Badge. Then he smiled. "That was a terrific battle though; you are an amazing battler – but you're still only the second best there is," he haughtily added.

Lyra gave him a half-smile, half-smirk. "And I suppose you're the best?" she teased.

"No," Blue's expression became impassive, his voice cold. Lyra flinched, her eyes widening. His attitude had changed with just a few words – but why? "I'm not the best," he continued, "my rival is."

Lyra noticed that when he said the word 'rival' his blue eyes flickered with pain, and his hands balled into fists, as if he was holding himself back. She knew this might be risky, but she still decided to ask anyways, "Who's your rival?"

The fierce glare Blue gave her was enough to make even the bravest pokemon cower in fear, but almost immediately after that his face fell and he looked miserably sad. "Her name was Leaf," he began, and Lyra could hear the longing in his voice when he said his rival's name, "We grew up together in Pallet Town, and we were friends when we were little before I became a jerk and started making fun of her." He laughed ruefully at this, his eyes cold. "When we were 11 we got our starter pokemon and became rivals, battling whenever we saw each while traveling throughout Kanto.

"_She_ was the one who beat me in the Pokemon League, and took my title as Champion." Blue shook his head, and then laughed softly, "She was always the better battler anyways, though, so I should have expected it."

"Leaf rarely spoke, but she was beautiful; she had the shiniest, longest brown hair that I've ever seen, and forest green eyes that sparkled like a thousand stars," Blue looked up at the ceiling, a nostalgic and wistful look on his face and a soft, yet remorseful smile on his lips.

"If you were rivals then why are you so despairing when you talk about her?" Lyra asked.

Blue met her gaze, his eyes pained. "She disappeared after I fled the league when she defeated me. Nobody knows where she went, or why. She's been missing for years, and I just feel like it's my fault…" he trailed off, looking down at the ground with his spiky hair hanging in front of his eyes.

A silence fell over the two as Lyra took this information in, awkwardly shuffling her feet and scuffing them against the floor of the gym. "…Do you miss her?" she finally asked, her voice soft.

"Yes, with all of my heart," Blue voice was barely a whisper, almost silent, "I never really hated her despite the way I treated her, in fact, I cared about her more than I'm willing to admit, but now she's gone because of me…"

"What would you do if you were to see her again?" This question took Blue by surprise, but he answered it nonetheless.

"I'd… tell her I love her and then never let her go again. But that's stupid, because I never _will_ see her again…" he looked away, his face crestfallen.

Lyra looked at the dejected boy, her heart filling with pity. _'I need to find this girl, Leaf, and reunite her and Blue,'_ she thought determinedly.

"Thank you for telling me all of this, Blue, I know it must be painful to remember her," Lyra bowed politely.

Blue gave her a weary smile. "It is," he confessed, "but it also feels good to tell somebody everything, you know?"

Lyra smiled and nodded. "Well, I'll be going now – and thank you for the gym badge!" she called over her shoulder as she ran towards the door, waving.

Blue smirked. "If you want a rematch, just call!" he yelled at her retreating figure.

She grinned. "Sure!"

* * *

"Why does this place have to be so cold?" Lyra grumbled, pulling her coat tighter around her as she hiked up the snowy mountain.

She didn't exactly remember how she had found out, but apparently somebody had heard from their brother who had heard from their cousin who had heard from a friend who had heard from a traveling hiker that a girl matching Blue's description of Leaf had been spotted at the top of Mt. Silver.

The hiker had tried to talk to her, but she hadn't replied, just stood at the edge of the summit, staring out across the Kanto region. He had given up after a while of trying to get her attention and climbed back down the mountain, leaving her up there.

That had happened a year ago, apparently. As Lyra entered the cave of Mt. Silver, she prayed that Leaf was still up there.

"This place is so cold and barren!" Lyra complained as she trudged through the cave, stumbling over a rock she had failed to notice. How did Leaf live up here in the extreme cold with nothing to eat?

Lyra's heart broke at the possibility of Leaf dying up here, all alone; she refused to accept that that might have happened since the hiker had been here. Leaf had to be alive, she _had_ to be.

After hours of navigating her way through the cave Lyra finally saw the exit, and rushed toward it excitedly, only to recoil in shock at the fierce blizzard raging outside. Leaf _stood_ out there in that sort of weather?

Gulping and steeling herself to brace the cold, Lyra plunged outside and into the blizzard; the flurries of snow and hail pelting down on her viciously and making her retreat into her coat. She forced herself to keep going, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Just when she thought it was hopeless that Leaf could survive up here, Lyra saw a yellow blob hurtling itself towards her through the blizzard. Not knowing what it was, she took a fearful step back, only to release a breath she hadn't known she had been holding when the yellow blob turned out to be a little Pikachu.

_'A Pikachu?'_ Lyra thought, confused. _'What would a Pikachu be doing up here… unless it's one of Leaf's pokemon?!'_

The Pikachu approached her, panting heavily. Lyra kneeled down and touched the electric mouse's head, and it looked up at her with despairing eyes before tugging on her sleeve, letting out a piteous, "Pikaaa!"

"Oh, what's wrong?" Lyra asked worriedly, standing up as the Pikachu now started tugging on her sock. It ran forward a few steps, and then looked back at Lyra hopefully. "Oh, do you want me to follow you?" Lyra asked, and the Pikachu nodded.

It then lead Lyra up towards the summit of Mt. Silver, occasionally stopping and looking back to make sure that she was still following before it ran forward again. Lyra followed, expecting the Pikachu to climb all of the way up to the summit, but it stopped about half-way down.

Running up to it, Lyra gasped when she saw what the Pikachu had stopped by.

It was a girl, a few years older than her, who looked to be unconscious, _'or dead,'_ Lyra thought: her eyes closed, body limp, and her skin a paler white than the snow surrounding her. Lyra thought she saw a nearby rock with a smear of blood in it, and seeing some staining the snow underneath the girl's head, Lyra inferred that she had slipped while coming down from the summit and hit her head on a rock.

What was worse, as Lyra gazed helplessly down at the girl, she noticed that her hair was long – past her waist – and while matted and uncombed, was as shiny as Starmie's gem.

This girl was Leaf, Lyra just knew it, and she also knew that if Leaf didn't get help soon, she would die.

She fumbled with the pokeballs on her belt, and after finding the two that she wanted, she tossed them into the air. "Pidge!" she cried to her Pidgeot as it appeared from its ball. "Quick, we need to get this girl to the nearest hospital! Amp, help me lift her up onto Pidge's back!"

Lyra's Ampharos, which she had called out along with her Pidgeot, nodded and delicately picked up Leaf's legs while Lyra picked up Leaf by the arms, and together they carefully lowered the girl onto the large bird pokemon's back.

"Thank you," Lyra panted as she returned her Ampharos, not used to the high elevation and shortage of oxygen. Leaf's Pikachu jumped onto Lyra's shoulder as the girl went to mount her Pidgeot behind the unconscious girl, and the pigtailed brunette turned her head to look at it.

"Oh, you're coming too, huh? Help me stop the bleeding on Leaf's head, then…" Lyra trailed off, ripping off a strip of her shirt and making it into a makeshift bandage for Leaf's head. The Pikachu stared at her quizzically, wondering how this girl that had appeared out of nowhere knew its trainer's name, but it didn't have long to think before, with one powerful flap of its wings, Lyra's Pidgeot was airborne.

They soared down the mountain, headed towards the Kanto region. Lyra knew that while the Indigo Plateau was the closest place to Mt. Silver – minus the League gate – it didn't have a hospital for humans, and so Viridian City was the closest place with a hospital.

Lyra's Pidgeot flew as fast as it could without having its trainer and precious cargo have to cling on for dear life, occasionally using Gust attacks to propel itself forward.

Lyra was so anxious and jittery she could do nothing but keep Leaf's head still, terrified for the girl's life. Who knows how long she had been unconscious up there before her Pikachu had lead Lyra to her?

Lyra could barely see the brunette's chest moving as she breathed; a sign that her breaths were short and shallow, and far in between. Pikachu worriedly watched its trainer as it clung to Lyra's shoulder to keep from being blown away, occasionally letting out a small, "Pikaaa," that Lyra could only hear because Pikachu was right next to her ear.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Viridian City appeared in the distance, and Lyra's Pidgeot swiftly descended, spiraling downward in circles and landing right in front of the human hospital.

Lyra wasted no time in getting the attention of all of the doctors and nurses in the emergency room, who immediately wheeled Leaf away on a stretcher to be treated. Her Pikachu tried to follow, but Lyra had to hold it back – as pokemon were not allowed inside human hospitals.

It angrily cried out, unleashing a flurry of sparks as it desperately tried to break free of Lyra's grip as its trainer was taken away, disappearing behind doors that swung closed behind the doctors treating Leaf.

The pigtailed brunette was finally forced to have her Meganium hold down Leaf's Pikachu with its vines while she headed outside, pulling her Pokegear out of her pocket as she did so.

Albeit hesitantly, she dialed in a number and clicked the _'call'_ button, impatiently waiting for the line to go through. She bit her lip as the phone rang repeatedly, her fingers drumming against the machine.

After a long pause, somebody finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Blue? I found Leaf…"

* * *

It was early in the morning when her forest green eyes flickered open.

She opened them slowly, blinking repeatedly as she took in the details of the small room she was in. The walls were painted a plain white, and she was lying in a bed centered in the middle of the room. Either way she looked, left or right, she saw various machines gathered alongside the bed, hooked up to her heartbeat and other vitals.

She was confused. One minute she had been climbing down from the summit, and now she was here in – what she presumed to be – a hospital room. How had she gotten here?

Suddenly, she noticed the back of her head throbbing, and winced, lifting up a hand to touch it. However, the hand that she had just decided to move – her right – was being held by something.

Or actually, some_one_.

Her eyes trailed down to the hand holding hers, and her eyes widened at the person she had failed to notice sitting at her bedside. With his head face down on the mattress, fast asleep, all she could see was his spiky, light brown hair – but that was all she needed to see to know who he was.

She gulped, her heart skipping a beat – which was recorded by the monitors. Whatever complexion her skin had recovered drained out of her like water after the plug's been pulled out of the bathtub, and she turned a ghastly shade of white.

Her fingers shaking, she tried to slide her hand out of his grasp, but he unconsciously felt this, and mumbled something while simultaneously tightening his grip on her hand. She stared down at him, her heart beating at an abnormally fast pace, amplified throughout the silent room by one of the machines she was hooked up to.

She shifted uncomfortably under the sheets; she hadn't been in civilizations in years… she hadn't seen _him_ in years… yet the warmth of her hand in his was comforting. She hadn't felt any warmth since she had first gone up to Mt. Silver; her Charizard's tail flame couldn't withstand the brunt of the freezing weather up there, leaving her to suffer through the cold alone.

But… the warmth was nice, she told herself, eyes sparkling.

Just then, her male companion woke upon feeling her movements, and muttered something under his breath, yawning as he lifted his head up. No doubt he had stayed up all night because of her. She tried to feign sleep, but she had been just a fraction of a second too late in closing her eyes; he had already seen that she was awake.

"Leaf!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. She was unprepared for when he suddenly hugged her, and sat rigid before relaxing, albeit hesitantly. She carefully hugged him back, giving him an awkward pat on the back – as she didn't know what else to do.

He seemed unwilling to let her go, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She was unused to this sort of display of affection, but did not question it and continued to let him hug her. Wasn't he her rival? Why was he hugging her?

"I was so worried about you…" he whispered, his voice so soft that she probably wouldn't have heard him had his lips not been by her ear. "…When Lyra called, I thought you were going to die…"

Lyra? Who was that? Her brow furrowed in confusion. What was going on? She was going to die?

After a long silence of him hugging her he finally let go of her and leaned back, blue eyes meeting green. Neither spoke, but his eyes desperately searched hers. She had never been one to speak; he knew that, but the pleading way he was looking at her was begging her to say something, _anything_.

However, she was not the type of person to give in to begging easily. Instead, she looked around the room, motioning to the machines and then herself, before looking at the boy again.

He sighed, knowing that she wouldn't actually say any words, and ran his fingers through his spiky, wild hair. "Your Pikachu lead Lyra to you, up on Mt. Silver," he explained, not caring to tell her who this 'Lyra' person was, "Apparently you slipped and hit your head on a rock. She doesn't know how long you were out for, but the doctors have an estimate. You're in Viridian City right now; Lyra had her Pidgeot carry you down here."

Ah, well, that explained why her head hurt.

Using hand signals, she managed to ask, _'Who is Lyra?'_

"Who's Lyra?" he repeated, frowning. "She's-" Just then, the door burst open, and a girl a few years younger than her and the boy entered into the room. "-her," he finished lamely, jerking a thumb in the newcomer's direction.

"Oh, she's awake!" Lyra trilled when she caught sight of her. She bounced over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. "Hiya, it's nice to meet you, I'm Lyra Kotone!" she introduced, grinning and offering her hand to shake – much like when she and Blue had first met. "I originally met you on Mt. Silver, but you were unconscious, so I guess that doesn't count. Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Leaf, right?" she plowed on, regardless if she knew Leaf didn't speak or not.

"So did the doctors say anything new, Lyra?" the boy asked, turning to the pigtailed brunette.

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded slightly. "They said that Leaf's wound is healing well, and that she should be released from the hospital within a week," she brightly elucidated. "That's good news, huh, Blue, Leaf?"

Blue nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. However, it fell when he looked over at Leaf. "Where will you go after you're out of the hospital? Back to Mt. Silver?" he asked sullenly.

To be honest, she didn't know what she would do, or where she would go, so she just shrugged in reply. This seemed to cheer Blue up for some reason, because he smiled again.

"Why don't you stay with me for a while then?" he suggested. "I'm the Viridian City gym leader now, and I have a rather large house in the back of the gym," he boasted proudly.

She couldn't help but give a small smile; this was more like the Blue she knew, her cocky and arrogant rival. Still, she was happy that he had found some new meaning in his life after losing to her in the league; Arceus knows he had only ever dreamed of becoming the Champion when they were little.

She thought the role of a gym leader suited him; she could imagine him standing on one side of a field, skillfully commanding his pokemon in battle like the last time she had fought him. The time before his final defeat…

No. She didn't want to think about that right. She needed to focus on the present, not the past.

She smiled, nodding in response to his suggestion – which meant yes. Almost instantaneously his blue eyes shined more brightly, and his smile evolved into a grin – Leaf was almost _scared_ by his enthusiasm. Had something happened to Blue while she was up on Mt. Silver, something that had changed his attitude?

She thought about asking, but her thoughts were cut short when a doctor entered the room, drawing Blue and Lyra out of the room to speak with them.

By the time they came back in, Leaf had already fallen asleep again.

* * *

A week later, late in the evening, Leaf was discharged from the hospital, Blue and Lyra at her side. She quite liked Lyra, and found the girl growing on her during the time she spent entertaining Leaf while she was forced to stay in the hospital. Her rival was also constantly there, often sitting in the corner and watching Lyra's failed comedian attempts with amusement.

Today Leaf was finally going to be reunited with her pokemon, who had been staying in Blue's gym while she was in the hospital. Once she was released, she, Blue, and Lyra headed there; Leaf couldn't wait to see her Pikachu and the rest of her pokemon again! It felt as though they'd been apart for ages!

Blue had closed the gym for today, so when the three of them entered the building none of the gym trainers were present inside.

"Hellooo!" Lyra called out cheerfully as Blue turned the lights on; they flickered on one by one overhead. "Is anyone here? We brought Leaf!"

As soon as she uttered Leaf's name four shapes flew out of the darkness, letting out joyous cries.

"Pika!" Leaf's Pikachu cried, dashing up to the brunette and jumping into her arms. She giggled, her voice like bells, as a Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise followed it at a slower pace, smiling at their trainer. Still carrying Pikachu in her arms, Leaf went up and hugged each of them, a silly grin on her face.

Looking to her left, Lyra had to stifle a laugh when she saw Blue watching the brunette with a passionate expression, his eyes soft. Her attention wandered over to Leaf, who was oblivious of the spiky brunet's gaze.

After greeting her four pokemon, Leaf turned to Blue, motioning and gesturing with her hands. He somehow understood her, and said, "Your Snorlax is probably sleeping in the back, and I couldn't release your Lapras because I have no pool or water environment in here."

_'Oh, she was asking about her other pokemon,'_ Lyra thought as Leaf stroked her Pikachu's fur. It purred and curled up in her arms, obviously content with the attention it was being given.

"So, Lyra," Blue turned to her, "where are you going to go now? Back to Johto?"

Lyra bit her lip thoughtfully. "Probably," she finally replied, "The League has been bothering me about how I'm never there to take on challengers, so I should probably head over there sometime soon."

"You know, Leaf, you should probably do the same thing," Blue nudged his rival as she walked up to join the two. Upon seeing her confused face, he quickly explained, "Lyra is the Johto Champion; neither of you have been at the League – you haven't been in years – and so nobody has been able to challenge the Elite Four, and thus you two, because you've been gone."

Her mouth opened in a silent, "Oh!" and she looked over at Lyra with a newfound respect. To attain Champion status you had to be extremely strong, and so that meant that Lyra had to be a respected trainer.

"Well, it's getting late, so I'd better go," Lyra said, looking down at the clock on her Pokegear. Blue checked his as well; it was already 8:00pm. The pigtailed trainer turned and was headed for the door when a hand clasped her shoulder. She looked back, and saw that it was Blue that had grabbed her.

He smiled at Lyra, and said in a voice too quiet for Leaf to hear, "Thank you, Lyra, for finding her."

She grinned and laughed, "No problem!" before turning and skipping out of the gym.

Once the doors closed behind her Blue turned to the silent girl behind him, who watched him with curious, green eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips as he sauntered over to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as he proclaimed, "Come on, let me show you around."

* * *

***PLEASE READ***

**AN: Gah! This took forever to write! D: It's so long!**

**Anyways, I have quite a few things to explain, don't I?**

**The most important thing I have to say is that this is ****not**** the only chapter of this story. I originally wanted to keep it a one-shot, but now it looks like it'll be at least three - maybe two - chapters. I'll have to start working on the second chapter soon, so just wait for it, okay? :)**

**The next thing is that I know Blue was like, totally OOC the entire chapter (except for like, one small part of it) D: but I had to make him be depressed about Leaf, so it makes sense for him to act all moody, right? Also, if you didn't notice, I tried to incorporate some of the things Blue says in-game to you on Cinnabar Island in Lyra's flashback. :)**

**Another thing is that yes, Lyra, Blue, and Leaf are a few years older than they normally would be if all of this were to happen in-game. But here's my reasoning for them being the ages they are:**

**After doing lots of research (not really) on Bulbapedia, I found out that Red and Blue started their journeys when they were 11 - but of course since this is a Conflictingshipping story, and Red isn't in it, I substituted Leaf for Red, making her 11. I then estimated that it would have taken a year for all of the events in Kanto to occur, from the day Leaf and Blue got their first pokemon to when Leaf became the Champion, making them 12. After all of the events in Generation 1 (and their remakes), three years passed (just like in-game) and then Lyra started her journey in Johto. It didn't say on Bulbapedia how old she was, so I just said she was 11 like Leaf and Blue at the beginning of their journeys. Since three years had past, Leaf and Blue would be 15 at this time. I then said it would have taken another year for Lyra to travel around Johto before becoming Champion, making her 12 while Leaf and Blue were 16. Another year passed (during which Lyra traveled around Kanto earning gym badges) before she met Blue and this story started. That's why Lyra is 13, and Blue and Leaf are 17.**

**I'm sorry I'm so confusing, guys. I hope that made sense. And I know that makes Leaf be on Mt. Silver for like, 5 years but I seriously don't care at the moment. XD Oh, and also, (although I'm pretty sure you guys realized this already) Leaf has the same pokemon team that Red has in the Generation 2 games and their remakes, seeing as how she pretty much replaces him in this story.**

**Okay, so finally I'm done ranting. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but in the meantime please review, okay? Reviews are like cookies to me, and I like cookies. :)**


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